It's a bittersweet day in Fantasyland. For many, Week 13 marks the end of the road. Their fantasy season had the shelf life of a Britney Spears marriage, albeit with greater initial prospects for success.

If you find yourself with as much relevance to your fantasy league as K-Fed has to the world of entertainment, today is a rough day indeed. A long offseason of "what ifs" and the victors' trash talk await.

For those of us advancing to the postseason, there's not much left to do but be certain we start our best line-up each week and pray that our stars peak at the right time.

But the "win-challenged" among us are going to have to justify all that wasted time (and money) somehow. Claiming you "just wanted to have some fun" won't cut it. You can go bowling if you want to have fun. You played fantasy football because you wanted to whoop up on your friends. But that didn't work out quite like you hoped, did it?

So here's to you, Mr. 3-and-10 Fantasy Football Man. Your Top 10 Excuses for Missing the Fantasy Postseason:

No. 10: "I never should have drafted Shaun." One of the hard-luck stories of 2006, Shaun Alexander was less-than-stellar in the first three weeks, then sat out injured for the next six.

No. 9: "I never should have traded Shaun." Oops. Over the last two weeks, he has racked up 291 rushing yards and a score. Those points could have come in handy during the stretch run.

No. 8: "My tight end stinks." Yours and just about everyone else's, bub. If you really think this position cost you a postseason berth, methinks you may have a few more holes in your roster than you care to admit.

No. 7: "If I could only count my bench points." Translation: "I consistently benched my strongest players, either because I ignored the matchups, forgot to set my lineup in time or paid no attention to late-breaking developments." This one is for all you Reggie Bush owners who missed out on his four-touchdown explosion on Sunday.

No. 6: "Free agents? I don't need no stinking free agents!" So you just sat there after the draft and watched your team slowly wilt away without injecting any fresh blood into your line-up. Meanwhile, you got toasted regularly by the likes of Marques Colston and Tony Romo. Shame on you!

No. 5: "The only trades I was offered were too lopsided." Cry me a river, buddy. Did you make reasonable counteroffers? Did you proactively seek trades, or just sit back and turn your nose up to others' entreaties?

No. 4: "In retrospect, my 'Raider Nation' strategy wasn't so brilliant." Could there possibly have been a more worthless array of skill-position players than LaMont Jordan, Randy Moss and the guys masquerading as Oakland quarterbacks?

No. 3: "I never knew which Denver running back was going to start." Of course you didn't. Nobody did. That's why you should have avoided that backfield altogether.

No. 2: "It never fails. Every week, I play against the guy with the high score." No you don't. Nobody's luck is that bad. That's the oldest excuse in the book; and besides, I was the one who always played against the top scorer!

No. 1: "I never should have taken that Biro guy's advice." Yeah, right. Who's gonna believe that one?

Free agent picks and pans

With the fantasy postseason upon us, the pickings are relatively slim in the free agent market. Nevertheless, a strategic acquisition could pay off when you need it most. Here's a look at a few players worth grabbing, and others who would look better in someone else's lineup.

Catch 'em while you can

Vince Young, QB, Titans: He's still a rookie, but he's no longer playing like one. Brimming with confidence after engineering three consecutive victories, Young has substantial upside during the fantasy playoffs, with favorable matchups including Houston and Buffalo ahead.

Cedric Houston, RB, Jets: This is a dicey time to wade into the Jets' backfield, but Houston is healthy again and prospering in the featured role. He should keep trucking against Buffalo next Sunday, but you may be saying "we have a problem" after that.

Bengals defense: They came within a minute of posting back-to-back shutouts against the Browns and Ravens. Aside from a Week 15 tilt against Indy, this unit's prospects for continued dominance are strong.

Don't be fooled

Trent Green, QB, Chiefs: Hopefully you got your fill of him this week, because the road ahead is fraught with peril. Don't expect multi-touchdown outings in the fantasy playoffs with Baltimore, San Diego and Oakland on tap.

Marcel Shipp, RB, Cardinals: Who knew he was still in the league? Running backs tend to get lost in the desert, as Edgerrin James' owners know all too well. The only thing worse than relying on Arizona's starter is pinning your hopes on his backup.

Steve Heiden, TE, Browns: In spite of his apparent rapport with Derek Anderson, who will likely replace the injured Charlie Frye for at least another week, Heiden is not a worthy fantasy prospect. Kellen Winslow, Jr., remains the only Browns TE to consider.

Fantasy Bad Breaks Week 13

Peyton Manning, QB, Colts -- His late TD pass to Ben Utecht was nullified by offensive pass interference.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks -- A 33-yard strike to Darrell Jackson ended a yard shy of the end zone. Shaun Alexander ran it in.

Charlie Frye, QB, Browns -- Before exiting with an injury, his 16-yard pass to Jason Wright was stopped at the 1. Reuben Droughns got the score.

Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals -- Cost himself a TD catch by pushing off on the defender.

Torry Holt, WR, Rams -- Isaac Bruce poached the short TD toss after Holt's 13-yard reception was stifled at the 1.

Bengals defense -- Pitched a shut-out until Derrick Mason scored with a minute remaining.

Texans special teams -- Jerome Mathis' 87-yard return of the second-half kickoff fell three yards short of pay dirt.